Final - AppendixF_GRRP_ScopingDesign_ConsentForm_Interview

(OMB # 2528-XXXX) 

Expiration Date: XX/XX/XXXX 

GRRP Scoping and Design Consent Form and Interview

You have been selected to participate in a research study being conducted by the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). The purpose of this study is to supplement the Green and Resilient Retrofit Program (GRRP) Scoping and Design Survey and to help HUD assess the success of the GRRP scoping and design process based on owners’ perceptions of the implementation process. This survey was approved by the Office of Management and Budget under OMB Control Number XXXX-XXXX, which expires on XX/XX/XXXX. HUD may not collect this information, and you are not required to complete this form, unless it displays a currently valid OMB control number.

If you agree to participate, here are some things you should know:

• Your name will not be used in any reports about this interview.

• All information collected during this study will be kept confidential, and your responses will not be identified individually in any way.

• With your permission, the discussion will be recorded. Since we are talking with a lot of owners across the country, this will help us keep track of and accurately report who said what. We will not share the recording with anyone outside of the study team, and we will destroy the recording when the study is over.

• Completing this interview will help HUD answer the following research questions:
  What challenges do awarded property owners face in developing their scope of work, engaging with residents, and completing benchmarking and other program requirements?

• You may choose to skip or not answer any questions. You may also leave the survey at any time. You will not be affected in any way if you stop the survey or decide not to answer a question.

• The interviewer will answer any questions you may have.

• The interview will take up to 90 minutes.

Contact Information: The United States Department of Housing and Urban Development has authorized XXX to conduct this study. If you have any concerns about your participation in this survey or have any questions about the study, please contact XXX.

HUD welcomes and is prepared to receive calls from individuals who are deaf or hard of hearing, as well as individuals with speech or communication disabilities. To learn more about how to make an accessible telephone call, please visit https://www.fcc.gov/consumers/guides/telecommunications-relay-service-trs.

Certification: By signing this document, you are certifying that you have read this agreement and that you [CHECK ONE in each line]:

_____ agree/_____ disagree to participate in the study

_____ agree/_____ disagree to have the interview recorded

Name [PRINT]: _________________________________________________________________

Signature: ______________________________________________ Date: __________________

Interview Questions 

 

All awardees:

1. What sorts of retrofit projects, if any, were you planning for your property before you applied to GRRP? How well would you say the scope of work that you have developed matches (or does not match) your plans for retrofits prior to your application to GRRP? 

2. Do you see GRRP as improving the standard of the retrofit that would have been pursued otherwise? Why or why not? 

3. How easy or difficult was it to get the whole-property data needed to complete utility benchmarking?

4. How did you engage with residents on your GRRP planning and project scoping? What challenges did you face, if any, with engaging with residents on this matter?

5. How did you engage with residents on issues of disruption or relocation? Did you provide housing mobility counseling to residents who were relocated? What challenges did you face, if any, with developing relocation plans for residents?

6. What challenges did you have with completing the program requirements? Did HUD provide sufficient support or technical assistance during your scoping and design process? How would you characterize the level of support or technical assistance you received? What additional support, if any, would you have wanted for scoping and design activities?

   1. Probe: Scoping and design activities include: benchmarking, developing the scope of work, procuring contractors, engaging with residents, completing an environmental review, completing a capital needs assessment, achieving a green certification, completing an energy audit, completing a renewable energy assessment, developing the financing plan, etc.

7. Did you combine GRRP funding with other funding sources?

   1. Probe if yes: HUD knows that lining up external funding is often challenging. Are there things that HUD could do in the future to make it easier for a funding opportunity like GRRP to work with other local, state, private, or federal funding sources?

8. What changes, if any, would you suggest to the scoping and design process and/or timeline? Why? 

Comprehensive:

9. How well did the Multifamily Assessment Contractor (MAC) work with you to achieve your goals? Did they take your input into account? How involved were you in decision-making? Did the scope of work that the MAC developed include strategies that you had previously considered for your property?

10. How did you and the MAC use the Resilience Assessment Tool? Was the tool helpful for making decisions on which retrofits to pursue? Did the tool provide strategies that were feasible to implement? Did the tool introduce strategies that you would not have considered otherwise?

Leading Edge:

9. How easy or difficult was it to decide which green certification to pursue? How did you decide? How easy or difficult was it to find a developer and other members of the development team with expertise with green certifications? Are there things you’ve learned since selecting a green certification that might have impacted your decision if you knew about them earlier? 

10. What challenges, if any, did you have with developing a scope of work that would achieve target energy reduction goals?